Larisa Yurkiw hopes to have a busy fall crocheting toques.
That may seem a little odd for the national alpine ski team member, but the 24-year-old Owen Sound native’s one-of-a-kind hats are just one of her unique thank you gifts to sponsors who support her through a new online campaign — a campaign Yurkiw is hoping will help cover her $20,000 in national team fees for the 2012-2013 season.
“I kind of joked about (the toques) with one of the producers but it’s so personal and he really liked the idea so we went with it,” Yurkiw said on Tuesday. “I usually only do it for myself if I want a new coloured hat.”
Yurkiw is one of five athletes chosen to kick off the Pursuit fund-raising campaign. She’s joined by snowboard half-pipe team member Alex Duckworth, triathlete Andrew Yorke, golfer Jeff Bishop and middle-distance runner Nathan Brannen.
“They are all very elite athletes with complex stories,” said Yurkiw. “It’s not an easy road for any of us.”
They each get 60 days of exposure on the Canadian Sport Centre-run website to make their fundraising pitch. Fifteen per cent of each donation goes back into running the fundraising program.
Another group of five athletes is expected to be promoted after the 60 days are up. Yurkiw has 58 more days left in her time slot.
You can see Yurkiw’s profile and make a donation at: http://pursu.it/campaign/larisa-yurkiw/.
“It could be the best Christmas gift ever,” Yurkiw said of the donations. “We’re kind of the guinea pigs, prestigious guinea pigs. They just want to help Canadian athletes get connected nationally and internationally with sponsors. This should be very effective and the best way to reach out to as many people as possible.”
All of the athletes have added personal touches to their thank yous, ranging from golfing with Bishop to seeing Brannen wear a custom-designed T-shirt with the sponsors names on it, to an ice-cream date with Duckworth and even some of her home-made granola.
But Yurkiw’s are by far the most varied and the most personal. She’s crochet you a toque for a donation of $250 or more. Or Skype with donors of $1,000 or more. She’ll spend the day with you for $5,000 — playing Scrabble or working out. For $15,000 or more you get your name on the front of her helmet and personal thank yous during interviews.
Then there’s the flying 50s.
For $50 or more she’ll write your name on the inside of her ski suit and you can fly down a mountain with her at her first World Cup event this season.
Every sponsor receives a personalized postcard and a raffle entry for two Nakiska Ski Resort Day passes.
“It’s a unique opportunity for both sides,” said Yurkiw. “I get to share my story with people and it gives anyone a chance to join the ride. The give backs are important to help us stay personal.”
The fundraising campaign may seem a little extreme but Yurkiw finds herself in a tough situation with her team fees hitting $20,000 for the upcoming season.
Normally she’d pay approximately $10,000 a year to Alpine Canada to cover her flights and accommodations. That’s roughly been her yearly fee since joining the national team in 2005. But they’ve doubled for this upcoming season because Yurkiw is into her first full World Cup series following a severe knee injury in 2009.
“This for sure is the highest amount I’ve ever tried to fundraise,” said Yurkiw. “I’m sure at times it looks very glamorous but it’s a lot of work.”
Yurkiw submitted an application to take part in the fundraising campaign and she was chosen to be in the first group of five.
Yurkiw began her comeback early last season in lower-tier events and competed in her first World Cup event in Cortina, Italy, in January. She was on the shelf for almost two years following a crash during training for a downhill race in Val-d’Isere, France.
Because last year was part of her comeback, Yurkiw didn’t put up the results needed for national team members, so she’ll be a discretionary member for all of this season, which added another $5,000 to her team fees.
“That’s because of my lack of results due to my injury and my comeback year,” said Yurkiw. “I’ll have that discretionary label all season and then next year I’ll have a chance at a lot lower team fees if I perform.”
It was easy for a couple years going into the Vancouver Olympics as Yurkiw was sponsored by President’s Choice. That helped her more than break even with her team fees. “But with the injury I’ve yet to be picked up by a main sponsor so that’s why this opportunity to be part of the Pursuit Campaign is so timely and helpful this year,” said Yurkiw.
Yurkiw returned from Switzerland on Monday. She’s spent the last three months chasing snow with the national ski team in New Zealand and Switzerland. She’ll spend the next month training in the gym. The ski season starts in early November with the first race coming on Nov. 30 in Lake Louise, Alta.
“In some ways the season should be easier because I’ve done a lot of firsts (last year in her comeback),” said Yurkiw. “My expectations have also gone up as well. I think myself and the staff are expecting a lot this season. It was incredible to start the summer in one piece and not try to catch up with any sort of momentum that I hadn’t already created.”